Standing Watch
by JPsmiles
Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one...
1. Chapter 1

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

Hannibal stormed over to Face. "What the hell happened out there, Lieutenant?" he demanded. Face looked down at his trembling hands, not quite sure how to respond. Hannibal grabbed his face, forcing the younger man to look up at him. "I asked you a question, and I expect an answer!"

"I...uh...I don't know." Face stammered.

And that was the truth...or at least part of it. Face had been given first watch that evening. About an hour into his shift, he heard a twig snap and what sounded like some voices. Before he had a chance to react, he was grabbed from behind and gagged. One of the assailants yanked his arm behind his back; he screamed a silent scream as he felt it pull out of socket. He was pushed to the ground where he tried to struggle against his attackers. They took turns kicking him until he lay still. As they began retreating, he reached for his ankle gun and fired off a few warning shots. There was a sharp pain in the back of his head and then there was nothing.

"What do you mean, you don't know!" Hannibal exclaimed, his normally calm voice beginning to rise. "You were on watch...which means you should have been watching!"

"I _was_ watching, but..." his voice trailed off as he tried to remember, but everything seemed fuzzy.

He came back around quickly, but was dizzy and disoriented. He stumbled through the brush aimlessly until he saw him. Face shuddered at the memory of the moment: B.A. laying face down in a pool of his own blood. He fell to his knees feeling for a pulse and praying that he would find one. That is when Hannibal and Murdock who had been alerted by the shots arrived on the scene.

Face's entire focus was on his fallen friend and getting him some help. His adrenaline level was so high, that he didn't feel any pain. Even in the van as he helped Hannibal apply pressure to the wound while Murdock sped them toward the hospital, he felt nothing but numb. But now that he had been sitting down for a while, he was starting to really hurt.

"You know what? I don't want to look at you right now...just leave. You've done enough damage for one day," Hannibal fumed.

Murdock's eyes opened wide with surprise, but he didn't object. Right now the only thing he cared about was B.A.; everything else would have to wait.

Face knew better than to argue with Hannibal when he was like this, it would only exacerbate the situation. He stood up holding his injured shoulder close to his side and slowly walked away with tears in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

By the time Face got outside he knew he was in no shape to drive, so he called a cab. His shoulder was throbbing and breathing was becoming more and more painful. The only place he could think of to go for help was Maggie's, and he directed the cab driver to take him to her house in Bad Rock. By the time they arrived he was even dizzier than before and had trouble standing up. Luckily Maggie spotted him from the window and came rushing out to help.

"Face, what happened?" she exclaimed, grabbing hold of his arm and leading him into the house.

He wanted to answer her, but he couldn't seem to get his mouth and brain on the same page. All that came out was a groan. Maggie helped him lay down on her examination table. He closed his eyes to stop the room from spinning.

"Face, can you hear me?" Maggie tried again.

Face nodded his head yes. A bad idea he discovered as the motion made him queasy.

"Gonna...be...sick," he gasped out. Maggie helped him roll onto his side and grabbed a bucket. When he was done, he rolled to his back and shut his eyes again.

"Face, can you tell me what happened? Where are the others?" Maggie asked.

Face was having difficulty breathing. "Hospital...ambushed last night...B.A. hurt real bad…my fault...Hannibal hates me."

Maggie could see that Face was having trouble talking, but she needed to know where he was injured. "Where does it hurt?

"Everywhere," he tried to joke with a weak smile. "Head hurts. Ribs hurt...kicked. Shoulder pulled out of place."

"Okay, I'm going to examine you to see how bad off you are. I'll try to be gentle."

Face gritted his teeth and tried not to make a sound as Maggie ran her hands along his body assessing the damage. When she probed his shoulder he literally saw stars in front of his eyes.

"I want to put your shoulder back. The longer it remains out, the more potential there is for permanent damage."

"Go for it...I'll be okay," Face said as Maggie helped him sit up.

Standing behind the slender but well muscled man, she placed one hand on his back for support, while grabbing hold of the injured shoulder with the other. "On the count of three. One...two...three!" She pulled back with all her might and felt the shoulder snap back into place.

Face gasped; his eyes rolling back in his head he collapsed back onto the table. Taking advantage of his unconscious state, she wrapped his ribs and cleaned and stitched the gash on the back of his head. He had said something about B.A. being hurt and Hannibal hating him. She couldn't imagine this to be true, but would have to wait until Face woke up to find out more.

"I have good news for you gentleman," the doctor smiled as he approached the two anxious men sitting in the waiting room. "Your friend is in stable condition. I expect him to make a full recovery."

Hannibal and Murdock breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"He's lost quite a bit of blood, so we will have to keep him for a couple of days. His physical stature was a blessing...had he not been so strong, he may not have made it."

A short time later, Hannibal and Murdock sat at a sleeping B.A.'s bedside in silence. Murdock looked over at Hannibal unsure whether or not he should speak. Finally getting up the courage, he asked, "Don't you think you were a bit rough on Face earlier? I mean, we don't _really_ know what happened?"

A cloud passed over Hannibal's face as he took a moment to think about what Murdock said. "Face was on watch and B.A. got hurt...that's all I need to know. We don't even have a clue as to who is responsible," he paused, "except for Face. If the lieutenant was doing his job, he would have alerted us that something was up."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Murdock sighed. "But, that just doesn't sound like Face to be so careless."

Hannibal frowned and leaned back in his chair. "He and I are going to have a little talk...I couldn't get a straight answer out of him earlier." He just hoped his second-in-command had some better answers for him this time around.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

Face slowly opened his eyes unsure of where he was at first. Looking around the room at the various medical supplies he remembered that he was at Maggie's, but she was nowhere in sight. He felt so hot and his shirt was soaked through with sweat.

'I need some air' he thought to himself. He gingerly pushed himself up to a sitting position, gasping at the pain. He held onto the table with his good arm and closed his eyes until he got the pain under control. Once on his feet, he used the wall for support and inched his way over to the window. He held onto the window sill and let the cool air wash over him, grateful for the little bit of relief.

"Face! What are you doing up?" Maggie asked, rushing over to her patient's side.

Startled, Face turned around quickly; too quickly. His vision blurred over and he thought he might pass out again.

"You really have to stop doing this to me, young man," admonished Maggie gently as she grabbed his waist until he was steady. "Slow breaths…that's it. You have a concussion, Face, you shouldn't be up by yourself."

"I know…so hot," he exhaled.

"I think you're running a fever. Do you think you can make it to my guest bedroom with my help? You'll be more comfortable there."

"Think so," Face answered.

Once he was lying down again, he felt much better. Maggie stuck a thermometer in his mouth and checked his vitals.

"Your temperature is 102, but at least your pressure is close to normal. I'm going to call Hannibal; I'm sure he must be worried."

"No don't!" Face exclaimed with as much energy as he could muster up. "I mean, let them focus on B.A.; I'm fine."

Maggie couldn't help but grin. "Oh yes, you're real fine." Sitting down on the edge of the bed she patted his knee and asked, "What happened? You mentioned earlier that Hannibal is mad at you…why?"

"I was on watch when B.A. got stabbed…I didn't stop it." Face felt his eyes misting up and he swiped at them with the back of his hand.

"How did you get hurt then?" Maggie probed still trying to piece together all the facts.

"They grabbed me and started pounding on me before I had a chance to warn the guys. I didn't even see it coming. Tried to fire off some shots, but too late…B.A. still got hurt."

"How is any of this your fault? Why are they mad at you if you were hurt yourself?" Maggie felt her anger starting to rise.

Face sighed and looked away from Maggie. "They didn't know. I was so worried about getting B.A. help that even I didn't realize how bad off I was. Hannibal was so angry. He told me to leave," Face gulped, "and so I left."

"Oh, Face," she said wiping some sweat off his brow with a towel. "They'll understand that it wasn't your fault. Let me call Hannibal…please?"

Face knew that Maggie was right, but then again, she hadn't seen how angry he was. Even Murdock couldn't look him in the eye. He knew that he would have to talk to them sooner or later, so why not let Maggie break the ice?

"Okay," he said. "Can you find out how B.A. is doing too?"

"I will…you rest now." Maggie left the room and headed straight for the phone. She couldn't wait to talk to Hannibal and get to the bottom of things…


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

Hannibal and Murdock were in the van making a food run when they heard the phone ring.

"Hello," Hannibal said roughly, expecting Face to be on the other end. Very few people were privy to this number.

"John, it's Maggie. I'm calling to see how B.A. is doing?"

"Much better. He woke up a couple hours ago and…," Hannibal paused in confusion. "Wait…how did you know about B.A.?" he asked.

"Face is here," Maggie said and then stopped. She wanted to hear Hannibal's reaction before going into any more detail.

"Listen Maggie, I don't have time to worry about my Lieutenant and his guilty conscious at the moment."

"It's not his conscious that I'm concerned with," she snapped, going on to describe his injuries. "And now he has started to run a fever. I'm worried…I've never seen him like this before."

Hannibal didn't speak; he was shocked into silence. Finally he regained use of his voice. "But I don't understand…he seemed okay…he didn't say anything." Hannibal shook his head and mentally kicked himself. "Damn! I should have known better; when he's hurt, he never does."

Maggie was glad to hear that her assumptions had been correct…it was all a misunderstanding. "He needs you John. He thinks you hate him…can you come?"

"I'm on my way." Hannibal hung up the phone feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

"What's up?" Murdock asked from behind the wheel.

"You were right, Murdock. Face wasn't being careless. Seems like those scumbags took Face down before they got B.A. I really messed up this time. I didn't even take a good look at him or ask him if he was alright."

"You're not the only one, Colonel. I was sitting right next to him but all I could see was B.A."

Hannibal nodded. "Let's head back to the hospital. Now that we know B.A. is on the mend, I want to get to Face as soon as possible."

Murdock immediately turned the van around. They both knew that one of Face's greatest fears was being abandoned…it had happened way to many times in his life.

'And I go tell the kid to leave…way to go, John,' he thought to himself.

A little over an hour later, Hannibal was knocking on the door to Maggie's house. He had taken Face's Corvette, breaking a few laws of the road along the way. He left Murdock behind to stay with B.A. with the explicit instructions not to drive the injured man crazy. Two wounded men was enough…he didn't need to add Murdock to the list as well.

"John!" Maggie exclaimed, opening the door and walking into his open arms.

"Hi Maggie," He said closing his arms around her.

They stayed in the comfortable embrace for a few moments. She always felt so safe when she was with him. Moving into the house, she led him over to the couch and indicated for him to have a seat.

"How's Face?" Hannibal eagerly asked before sitting.

"He's sleeping now. I just hope he stays that way for a while…his body needs the rest." Hannibal nodded his head solemnly. "Maybe you can tell me your version of what happened?" Maggie asked.

Hannibal ran his hand through his thick gray hair and sighed. He started recounting the previous night's events. "…and then Murdock and I found B.A. lying on the ground. He had been stabbed and was covered in blood. I thought he was…well, you know." Hannibal stopped and took a breath to compose himself. "Face was with B.A. when we found him. I guess I was so focused on getting B.A. out of there, that I didn't take a good look at Face. By the time we reached the hospital, I was so upset and angry that all I could see was red. I unloaded all that rage on Face." Hannibal looked at the ground and bit his lip.

Maggie rubbed his thigh and smiled sympathetically. "It's not all your fault, John. Face didn't exactly tell you that he was hurt. His head wound was well hidden under his hair and unless you have x-ray vision, it would have been hard to detect the rest."

"Yeah, but I should have known something was wrong. I mean, it's when he doesn't complain that we know he is hurt. Plus, Face would never slack off on watch…I know better than that!" Hannibal stood and started to pace. "I told him to leave, Maggie! What if he had tried to drive his car? Or what if he didn't think to come to you? What if…"

Maggie cut Hannibal off. "Why don't you sit back down? You're making me dizzy," she joked trying to lighten the mood. "Don't think about 'what ifs'. Face made it here safely, now we just have to work on the sound part."

"You're right. Do you think I could go in and sit with him for awhile? I'd like to be there when he wakes up." Hannibal knew how much Face hated to be sick; he associated being sick with being alone. It all stemmed back from his days at the orphanage. A sick child was kept isolated from everybody else so as not to spread the illness. They all knew that Face detested being left alone. Even though he would often tell them just the opposite, they knew it was just a defensive mechanism he had picked up over the years.

"Of course. You being here will probably be the best medicine he can get."

Hannibal slowly crept into Face's room and stood by the door for a moment just observing. It never ceased to amaze him how innocent he looked while sleeping…and how young!

In his 28 years of life he had more than his share of struggles: being abandoned by his parents at an early age; growing up in an orphanage; Vietnam and the prison camps; and being wrongly convicted by the military. Maybe that is why he held such a soft spot is his heart for Face; because he had survived so much and yet still tried to do right with his life. Hannibal moved over to the chair next to the bed and sat down, never taking his eyes off of his friend.

Face started to mumble softly in his sleep, but Hannibal couldn't make out what he was saying. His head started moving side to side and he was sweating profusely. He became increasingly more agitated, flailing his arms and legs. Hannibal was afraid that if he didn't calm Face down he would only make his injuries worse. He reached out and grabbed the ailing man's arms trying to restrain him.

"Face...wake up!" He said in a loud voice. He was surprise by the amount of strength he needed to hold Face down. Tears began to stream down his flushed cheeks as he continued to struggle with his nightmare.

"Lieutenant Peck, wake up! That's an order!" Hannibal shouted. Face became still and slowly opened up his feverish eyes. Hannibal smiled down at Face. "That's it kid...take it easy. Why is it that I have to order you around in order to get you to listen to me?"

Face blinked his eyes as if trying to focus. "Ha...Hannibal? Oh God, B.A.? If you're here, he must be...oh God!" He panted trying to get up. Hannibal tightened his grip on Face.

"Shh, shh...it's okay. B.A.'s going to be fine...in fact, he's probably a lot better than you are at the moment.

Face sank back down into the pillows and took a deep breath. B.A. was okay! The relief he felt was incredible. Relief gave way to discomfort: emotionally and physically. He wasn't quite sure what to say to Hannibal. Maggie probably talked to him, but he didn't know where they stood. Face groaned and Hannibal looked down at him with concern.

Face attempted a smile. "You wanna let go of me now, Colonel?"

Hannibal hadn't realized he was still holding on. "Oh, yeah...sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine." Hannibal just rolled his eyes at Face's typical response. "Is B.A. really okay?"

Hannibal sat back down in his chair. "Yes, B.A. is really okay...that is assuming Murdock hasn't driven him crazy yet." The two men shared a smile at that thought.

Hannibal leaned forward and grabbed Face's hand. He couldn't help but notice Face tense up, so he gave the hand a comforting squeeze. "Listen Face...I owe you one hell of an apology."

Face shook his head 'no'.

"Yes, I do," Hannibal continued. "I should have noticed you were hurt...and I should have never blown up at you like I did. I know you would have warned us if you could. I was just so torn up seeing B.A. like that...he's supposed to be the indestructible one! Can you forgive me?"

"Forgiven." Face sputtered out, squeezing Hannibal's hand back. He wanted to explain to Hannibal exactly what happened, but he was exhausted. He ached all over and his body felt like it was on fire. "Hannibal...so tired," he slurred closing his eyes. Hannibal put his unoccupied hand to Face's forehead and didn't like how warm he felt.

"You're hot. I'm going to go get Maggie to look you over."

Hannibal left the room in better spirits. He couldn't stand it when he and Face were at odds. Now he just had to get the kid better and all would be back to normal…normal for a bunch of fugitives that have been on the run from the military for just shy of a decade.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

"If you touch my pillow one more time, I'm gonna lay on you instead!" B.A. snarled at Murdock who was adjusting a pillow underneath B.A.'s mowhawked head.

"I try to help, and this is the thanks I get,' Murdock sulked putting his hands up in the air and backing up. "But you are awfully cute when your lip snarls up like that," he smiled. It was good to see that B.A. had regained the "Bad Attitude" he was named for. This meant he was feeling much better.

B.A. had been stunned when Murdock told him what happened the previous day. He remembered that he had gotten up and walked a bit of a distance away from where Hannibal and Murdock were sleeping to go to the bathroom. There was the sound of a gun firing. If it weren't for those fired shots, he wouldn't have jumped back as the blade came toward him and the blade would have cut him deeper and punctured one of his vital organs. It was a close call…too close.

B.A. was especially surprised to hear what happened in the waiting room. "I can't believe that Hannibal told Faceman to leave. You think he's gonna be okay?" It wasn't like Hannibal to lose his cool at any of them...and especially at Face. 'I must have really scared them this time' he thought to himself. He felt awfully lucky to have people who cared about him so much.

"Dunno, big guy," Murdock said in reply. "I should have stopped Face from walking out, but it was like everything was moving in slow motion...it was so surreal."

B.A. nodded his head in understanding. He looked Murdock straight in the eye, "You know that Face would have done something if he could have, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do...and Hannibal does too. We weren't thinking right...any of us."

"That includes that fool Face," B.A. added. "Face needs to learn to speak up when he's hurtin'." His tone was rough, but he was more worried than angry.

"Let's just hope you get to tell him that real soon," Murdock said. He had hoped to hear from Hannibal by now. The pilot wasn't a very religious man as a rule, but he found himself saying a silent prayer that good things were happening in Bad Rock.

Maggie found Hannibal sitting on her front porch. Staring out at the trees, he looked as if he were miles away.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Maggie said sitting down beside him.

"Just a penny?" Hannibal joked. "I should get at least a quarter for what I've got going on upstairs right now."

"You're on," she said with a smile. Maggie's smile always put Hannibal completely at ease. He knew he could trust her completely…even with his most intimate thoughts and feelings.

"First of all, how's Face?"

"Stable…which I'd say is good news considering that nightmare he had. His fever isn't any higher, which is good. He says that he isn't quite as dizzy or nauseous…an indication that his concussion isn't quite so severe. I've given him some more antibiotics and a light sedative to help him rest. Now we just have to hope his fever breaks. If it doesn't break by morning, I'm really going to insist that we transfer him to a hospital."

Maggie understood that they tried to avoid hospitals when possible. But, as in the case with B.A., sometimes they had to take their chances in order to get the appropriate medical care. She reached into her pocket and handed Hannibal a quarter.

"Your turn," she teased.

Hannibal took the quarter and began to speak. "I was just thinking about the first time I met Face. He came across as a spoiled-rich, surfer boy from California. Boy, he was a cocky little son-of-a-gun!" Hannibal smiled at the recollection of his young Lieutenant. "I was sure that he wasn't going to last long with my unit. But then, I saw the kid in action. About a week after he joined us, Face was on watch when we were attacked. He radioed me the warning and was able to hold off at least a dozen men on his own, allowing us time to get ourselves together. He took two bullets that night and never once complained."

"Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?" Maggie asked.

"Sure does. I just wish I would have remembered this yesterday when I was ripping him a new one," Hannibal sighed.

"When did you learn the truth about Face's past?"

"After that evening I read his complete file. Before then, I had just focused on the military parts. To my surprise, my snobbish rich boy was really an orphan. As time went by, he let little bits and pieces slip out. Part of the reason we call him 'Face', beside the obvious, is that his face is his mask. He hides a lot of his true self behind it."

"Kind of sad, isn't it?" Maggie frowned.

Hannibal nodded his agreement. "I've known Face since he was 19…though the records will say he was 21. It has taken me a decade to know about his past what I can learn about others in the course of a few hours." He paused and took a deep breath. "He's the closest thing to a son I'll ever have…along with B.A. and Murdock that is."

Maggie started to chuckle.

"What? What is so funny?" Hannibal asked in confusion.

"I…I…I'm sorry," she stammered. "It's just that you and your 'sons' are the weirdest family I have ever met.

Hannibal grinned widely and said, "We are a bit different, that's for sure. I never imagined my offspring consisting of a black man, a crazy man and an adult orphan."

"Well, you are my favorite family of fugitives," Maggie teased.

"What would I do without you, Maggie?" He asked putting his arm around her shoulder."

Maggie leaned into his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, I'd say you'd have to find yourself another doctor to patch your men up."

"True, but it would be impossible to find a doctor who is as good a friend as you are." Hannibal winked, "and not to mention, as good looking!" Maggie blushed and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Hello," Murdock croaked, still half asleep.

"Morning Captain," Hannibal said, sounding wide awake.

"Morning? You sure? Can five o'clock a.m. be considered morning?" Murdock groaned rubbing his eyes.

"Oh…yeah… sorry about that," Hannibal said looking at his watch to confirm the time. "I've been up for a while…I thought it was later."

"Is everything okay…Face isn't worse is he?" Murdock asked sitting up straight in bed.

"Well, that's why I've been up. His fever broke a couple of hours ago. Looks like Face is well on the road to recovery."

Murdock let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Thank goodness! Hold on a second…I wanna tell B.A."

Hannibal could hear B.A. in the background, "Thank you Jesus! I was praying for Faceman to get better so I can get away from you!"

Murdock got back on the phone, "B.A. is happy too."

Hannibal chuckled, "Um yeah...so I hear. You two doing okay?"

"Yes sir...we're like two peas in a pod!"

"I ain't no pea and I certainly ain't sharing no pod with you, fool. Lemme talk to Hannibal!" B.A. barked at Murdock. Hannibal could hear his two men grumbling back and forth as the phone was being transferred.

"Hannibal…when you comin' back? I'm being released today and I don't wanna be left alone with Nurse Murdock. It's bad enough crazy man been hiding out here, but at least other people are around to make sure I don't kill him."

"Now, now B.A. You know he had to stay there in case the military showed up. Plus, I'm sure Murdock has been taking good care of you." Hannibal smiled as he heard B.A. snort. "If Face's temperature remains normal and Maggie gives us the go-ahead, we'll hit the road the day after tomorrow."

"Aw Hannibal…that long," B.A. whined.

"Stay strong, Sergeant…I'm sure the time with Murdock will fly by!"

"Did you have to mention Murdock and fly in the same sentence?" He was just about to hang up when he added, "Tell Faceman that we glad he's feeling better and that we's thinkin' about him."

"Will do."

Hannibal laughed as Murdock shouted out, "That was so sweet…you big cuddly mudsucker you!"

"I'm gonna hang up this damn phone before Murdock tries to hug me. Later, Hannibal."

Hannibal hung up with a smile. The whole situation reminded Hannibal of a few things: B.A. was capable of being hurt; Face would get hurt, but wouldn't tell anybody about it; Murdock was going to get hurt by B.A….and soon…if he didn't get them separated.

(One chapter to go…)


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Standing Watch  
>Rating: PG<br>Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

Two days later Face found himself lying on the couch in Hannibal's apartment. The others were outside enjoying the beautiful day, but Face was still extremely weak and in a lot of pain. All he wanted to do was sleep; he was so tired. But the guilt and thoughts of what could have happened were eating away at him and keeping him up at night.

Face could hear them outside laughing and joking as if nothing had happened. But something had happened. B.A. could have died that day…and on his watch. And even though B.A. was pretty much up and around and feeling fine, Face was haunted by the memory.

Outside, Hannibal was keeping a close eye on two out of his three men. He forced them out so that his third man, Face, could try and get some rest.

B.A. was under strict orders to take it easy for a while so as not to reopen his wound and Murdock was taking full advantage of that knowledge. A B.A. on restriction was a B.A. who couldn't run after him and try to kill him, and as a result Murdock was in rare form. Hannibal felt as if he were babysitting a couple of kindergarteners instead of two highly trained military men.

When the trio came back inside for dinner they saw that Face had finally drifted off and quietly snuck past him and into the kitchen. They were just about to sit down at the table when they heard Face yelling.

"Help me! Stop! No…Please! B.A….no…B.A.! No!"

B.A. was the closest to the door and the first one out. He held a hand over his wound as he walked, but was at Face's side in seconds. "Hey, man…wake up. It's okay, Faceman…you dreamin'."

Hannibal came up behind B.A. "Stay back, Sergeant. I don't want you getting kicked." He motioned for Murdock to get into position by Face's feet while he stood by his head.

Face was mumbling and tossing his head from side to side. "Sorry…so…sorry."

"Face, it's Hannibal. Everything is fine."

It wasn't working. Face was shaking all over and sweating profusely. Hannibal knew what he had to do. "Lieutenant Peck!" he boomed loudly.

Face's eyes flew open, but they were glassy and unfocused.

"Stand down…that's an order."

Face swung his legs over the side of the couch and bolted upright, saluting his Colonel. "Yes, sir." Hannibal and Murdock both took steps closer. "Han…bal?"

"Yeah…I'm here, kid."

"Don't…feel…good." His knees buckled and he started to fall. Before he hit the ground he felt someone catch him.

Hannibal and Murdock lunged forward when Face started going down. Each catching him on one side they lowered him slowly down onto the couch. The last thing Face saw before losing consciousness was B.A. walking out of the room and it confirmed his fears. 'B.A. blames me…they all do.'

B.A. returned a few minutes later with a bowl of cold water and some towels. "He okay?"

Hannibal shrugged. "I hope so. I never expected him to stand like that."

Murdock smiled while covering his friend with a light blanket. "Yeah, he never saluted you like that when he was in his right mind."

B.A. dipped a towel into the water and placed it on Face's forehead. "You don't think he still blamin' himself for what happened, do you?"

Hannibal sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Could be. The four of us never did discuss what happened. I just assumed…"

Murdock cut him off. "And you know what they say about people who assume…"

"All too well, lately…all too well." Hannibal pulled up two chairs next to the couch; one for him and one for B.A. to sit in while he applied the cold compresses. 'Once your back with us, kid, I'm going to fix this,' he thought.

The last thing Face had seen was B.A. walking away from him, and the first thing he saw upon waking up was the same man holding a wet towel on his head.

"Hey, Faceman. Welcome back."

"B.A….what? Why?" He moved to sit up, but a large bejeweled hand gently held him down. "Stay still, man. You was havin' a bad dream and passed out a little while ago."

Hannibal stepped into Face's line of vision. "We need to talk."

Face swallowed hard. 'Here it comes,' he thought. 'They're going to let me have it.'

"You know that what happened wasn't your fault, right?"

Face didn't answer…he couldn't answer. If he opened his mouth he was afraid he would do something humiliating like burst out into tears.

"Oh, Facey," Murdock said. "You do blame yourself."

Face nodded and turned toward the back of the couch so he didn't have to make eye contact.

"Look at me, kid," Hannibal said. When Face didn't comply Hannibal leaned over and turned his head in his direction. "Face, none of this is your fault. You were hurt. I'm sorry I didn't notice."

"Yeah, Faceman," B.A. added. "Ain't nothin' you coulda done…you was ambushed from behind."

"I…I…was…so…scared…when I…saw…you, B.A. Please…forgive me," Face gasped out.

"Nothin' to forgive…just told ya it wasn't your fault." B.A. squeezed the con man's arm. As an afterthought he added, "Sure am glad for those gun shots that were fired, though. If not for them I wouldn't have moved out of the way of the blade a bit."

Hannibal furrowed his brow in confusion. "Murdock and I assumed you had fired them before you were cut…your rifle was by your side. Those shots were what woke us up and let us know there was trouble."

B.A. shook his head. "Nah…I didn't have a chance to grab it in time."

"I fired the shots before they knocked me out," Face said quietly. "My only chance at warning you."

There was silence as they tried to process what Face had just told them. Finally B.A. leaned forward and, mindful of his and Face's injuries, pulled him into a rare hug. "You saved my life, Faceman. If it wasn't for you, I might not be here. Thanks man."

Face was speechless, but he squeezed B.A. back. The weight that had been on his shoulders finally lifted.

"You're a hero, Facey!" Murdock beamed as B.A. loosened the embrace. "Got one of those for me, big guy?" he asked holding his arms open.

"Fool…you didn't save my life man! But if you ever try and hug me you gonna need someone to save yours."

Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag and released the air very slowly. It had been a long week and he was grateful it was over.

He was even more grateful that his family was still intact….or at least intact until Murdock hugged B.A.

The End


End file.
